Nova Luxa
The Principality of Nova Luxa is a Homeland of the Union of San Patricio, formerly an enclave of the Kingdom of Ordland, and one of the remnants of the Empire of Mauretania under former Ordlandic Protection. It is located on the eastern coast of San Patricio on the Melanian continent. Government Nova Luxa is a limited constitutional monarchy under the overall sovereignity of the Union; as the Sixth Homeland, Nova Luxa has limited self-government and special rights and privileges established by law. The Prince is the Head of the ruling House and appoints all Ministers, the Central Magistrates, and the Premier - the Head of Government. The fifteen-member Great Council - elected by direct vote from all those over 18 years of age - acts as the Principality's legislature. The Prince chooses the Premier and Ministers from this body. Members of the Grand Council are mandated to remain nonpartisan, but unofficially have party affiliations. Nova Luxa is an unitary state - that is, it has no further subdivisions like states or provinces. The cities and villages of the territory also have direct-elected mayors. The city of Nova Luxa, for instance, was governed from 301 to 320 by Phillip Pataneira. The Royal Family Prince Emanuel Victor Sergio, head of the ruling House of Sergio, is the current monarch of Nova Luxa. He was installed on 15th of October, 299. A former statesman, the Prince served as territorial delegate to Ordland, and his humanitarian work in Nova Luxa is well known. The Prince has been appointed as a member of the Consejo de los Veinte, the governing organ of the Union, by virtue of the Articles of Accession agreed by the Council and the Principality. The Sergio family has an extended, traceable, history in Nova Luxa. Their ancestry is traceable to among the first groups that arrived in the area more than three hundred years ago. Other members of the royal family include Princess Consort Marguerite, Crown Prince Victor, and Princess Catalina. History (See also: New Luxanna colony) Long occupied by the indigenous Mixtuptecan peoples, the area was the site of the ancient city of Xicuahuatepec (Sandy Hill or Dry Hill Area). Longerathian explorers first landed in Nova Luxa in 236 BP. After news spread of the fertile lands a number of Longerathian explorers looked to exploit the region. Captain James Owynkurt received financial support from the East Melania Company, who financed the voyage. Owynkurt landed in 231 BP and founded the settlement of Cape Glory. The region of Nova Luxa saw huge waves of settlers after 5 AP by Longerathian refugees fleeing from The Plague. Displacing the original tribes from the area, the settlers founded the walled city of Nova Luxa on 15 AP. The Principality of Nova Luxa was established in 33 AP. By 40 AP, with the Mauretanian invasions, instead of simply invading and overrunning the place, the recently-forming Empire of Mauretania offered Nova Luxa a suzerainity-vassalage agreement. On 70 AP, the Principality was made into the Province of Zab (which over time came to include most of the present-day eastern coast of San Patricio), while the heads of the House of Sergio became rulers of the province. The Sergios didn't complain, and the Mauretanian Emperors were happy with not having to worry about it. With the dissolution of the Empire after the Mauretanian War in the late 290s, Nova Luxa proper voted for becoming one of the provinces of the Empire of Mauretania under Ordlandic Protection. The enclave became home to the Ordlandic democratic government-in-exile following the military coup in Newton on December 299. On February 300, Ordland considered transfering sovereignity over Nova Luxa to the Greater Zartanian Empire in exchange of a major arms deal - even though a number of Zartanian troops were indeed stationed in Nova Luxa during this period, the deal failed to pass a referendum on the same month. On the 6th of February 301, Nova Luxa was the site of a terrorist attack which resulted in over two hundred deaths. On June 30, 317, the Emperor of Mauretania announced the end of the Ordlandic Protectorate over Nova Luxa, and the final dissolution of the Empire of Mauretania. Nova Luxa thus achieved complete independence and sovereignity for the first time in its history, and found itself completely unprepared to take on the responsibilities of foreign relations and defense; the remnant of the Maurestani Expeditionary Force was hurriedly put under the Prince's personal command, as the Nova Luxa Detachment of the MEF, and a search for possible partners was conducted to secure the coasts and the new territorial waters of Nova Luxa; this resulted in a contract with TDCorp to the south, by which TDCorp SECDIV personnel and naval hardware would be provided to guarantee Nova Luxan sovereignty over its waters, under the command of the Prince, assisted by TDCorp naval attachés. Foreign relations were put on hold, pending a reorganization of the Government; in the meantime, the Prince conducted diplomatic affairs as a personal responsibility, delegating some appearances and functions to the Crown Prince. Internally, the Great Council continued legislating and supervising the application of law in Nova Luxa, drawing on the experience the enclave had as a largely autonomous province under both the late stages of the Empire and the Protectorate period. The Nova Luxan Royal Guard expanded to replace the MEF's remaining paramilitary functions, and started receiving modernized training and equipment under the terms of the TDCorp naval services contract. On February 1, 320, Nova Luxa acceded to the Union of San Patricio as the Sexto Pueblo, the Sixth People. The Prince, the Crown Prince, the current Premier, Leon Mendolini, and the former Mayor of the City of Nova Luxa, Pillip Pataneira, were appointed members of the new Consejo de los Veinticuatro (Council of the Twenty-Four) for the period 320-325. Geography and Demographics Nova Luxa is located on the eastern coast of San Patricio. It has 53.900 inhabitants (306 census) - of those, 36.230 live in the historical capital city of Nova Luxa. Of the remaining 17.670, 15.560 live in the recently-built planned city of Luxburg, home to most of the industrial facilities and the only deep-water port in the region, while the rest live in smaller villages scatterred through the Principality. The official languages of the Principality are Ingallish (sole official language before accession) and Sanpatrician. Other languages of the former Empire of Mauretania, including the other five Lenguas de los Pueblos (People's Tongues), are also spoken. Roughly 33% of the Novaluxians are Mounists. Cruisans make up 26% of the population, while Emethitists are 9%. Members of other religions (and atheists) make up the remaining 32%. Cruisanism is the Principality's state religion, even though the city has a great importance to Mounism: the Kaabur building is located there, housing the Pink and Purple Stone, considered the last remaining piece of Heaven in Vexillium for Mauretanian sect Mounism. National Symbols The national symbol of Nova Luxa is its swallowtailed flag, shown to the right. The blue letter "S" - standing for the House of Sergio -, is overheaded by a golden crown. The red cross and green backing are taken from the former national flag of Ordland. Military During the Ordlandic Protectorate, defence was the responsibility of Ordland, via the Maurestani Expeditionary Force. In 301, the Nova Luxa detachment of the MEF was led by Field Marshall John Glideswell-Oliveira, Duke of Joos, relieved from command after the 301 Nova Luxa bombing. Since independence in 317, an 800-man-strong Royal Guard acts as the local police and paramilitary authority. The Royal Novaluxian Guard will remain active as a privilege of the Prince, acting in concert with Los Rifleros Federales (The Da's Own Rifles) Sanpatrician armed forces, and the other Homelands' constabularies and militias. Nova Luxa had no established navy, instead relying on Ordlandic naval and coast guard assets to perform the necessary functions; after independence, these functions were contracted out to TDCorp SECDIV on a provisional basis. Per the Articles of Accession, TDCorp will transfer the naval hardware and port assets to the San Patrician Navy (Great Green Fleet) on 1 February 320, and will train and advise the new Nova Luxa Squadron for the 320-323 period. Economy The Economy of the Principality is driven by two main industries: Tourism - based mainly arround the many cassinos and historical sites - and Banking. With 40 banking establishments, 70 windows, 3 representative offices and 7 financial companies, the banking sector constitutes a large part of Nova Luxa's financial activity. Nova Luxa offers investors and businessmen an exceptional and secure lifestyle while simultaneously offering them all of the advantages of an attractive fiscal system. The main feature of Nova Luxa's fiscal system is the total absence of direct taxation (except for companies earning more than 25% of their turnover outside of the Principality and companies whose activities consist of earning revenus from patents and literary or artistic property rights, both types are subject to a tax of 33.33 % on profits). Persons residing in Nova Luxa (except Ordlandic nationals and nationals of Ordland's successor states) do not pay tax on income, on betterment or on capital. There is no direct tax on companies apart from the tax on profits mentioned in the previous cases. Because of this, Nova Luxa is sometimes called a tax haven. Territorial Dispute During the Ordlandic Protectorate, Nova Luxa and its territory were also claimed by the Greater Burovian Realm Dominion of Uudangwuu, although no specific actions were taken to assert the claim. A similar claim exists for the island of Joos. Since independence, these claims have not been pressed bilaterally or in international forums, and are considered void by the Prince. On accession to the Union, and in the absence of any notification by the former claimant, said claims are nonexistent in the view of the Prince and the San Patrician Government. See also Official Website Category:Subnational entities